Bellevue is purchasing the vacant Art Deco-style theater building at 609-611 Fairfield Ave. Mayor Ed Riehl made the announcement at the March 12 council meeting; council then voted unanimously to allow the mayor to sign a contract for the purchase.

Riehl called it an "important transaction," that will allow the city to take control of the future of the city's "architectural gem."

The mayor said the the city and building owner Jack Eck have discussed a sale for several years. At the end of 2013, Eck approached the city again.

"Negotiations went well," Riehl said. "He was willing to sell at a favorable price and now we're just waiting on the title service. Mr. Eck has been a good friend to Bellevue and knew how important the property is to the city. We all agreed we didn't want it to fall in to the wrong hands, but instead preserve the property for the future."

The city will pay $138,380 for the property. Riehl said he expects the process to be complete within a month.

According to Cinema Treasures website,, the Marianne Theatre opened in 1942 and had seating for 542. The theater has been closed for several years.

Plans for the property have not yet been made, according to City Administrator Keith Spoekler. He said that the city has not been approached by developers, but hoped the sale would get some attention.

"We anticipate tonight's announcement will stir some interest," he said. "Right now we're just happy we got it, but we are hoping of producing an asset fast"

Both Spoekler and Riehl said the building would be preserved and the facade would not be significantly changed.

Riehl said council will have public meetings to gather input from residents in the coming months.

"We do know that we want to create an economic viable building," he said. "A lot of people in the community have fond memories of the Marianne as a theater. I think people will be excited."